One nice(r) thing about making masks - not much fabric is involved - so if it's a dud - oh, well.
Unlike a quilt that did not turn out.
At first, the masks seemed to fall into two main categories - the ones that started out as a rectangle and were either pleated or gathered at the sides - and then what I called the "nose bra" ones - but it seems like there are even more variations out there now.
I did see elastic available through etsy and ebay - but was wondering about the quality, softness, and stretchiness of it. Have/Did any of you order that elastic and how was it to use?
I had some 5/16 inch swimsuit elastic in my stash - and as far as elastic goes, that was comparatively soft/comfortable on the ears, and very stretchy. I also had some 1/4 inch elastic that was hard/sharp on the edges.
I make a casing for the wires so they are removable. The process is very similar to the casings where there is a tie on a hoodie or on the waistband of pajamas or sweats. Basically, make a buttonhole near the top fold (or seam) line, make the rest of the mask "as usual" - and then sew a line about 3/8 to 1/2 inch below the top fold/seam line. It is easier to start cutting the hole in the buttonhole before doing the rest of the assembly. It can be done at the very last, but it's easier to do it sooner than later.
I had some stretchy 1/2 inch wide tubing that I use for "neck bands" - I cut a piece about 15 inches long and sew it to the bottom of each mask. The mask is sort of like a pendant when not being worn on the face.